


Plenty

by NewEyes



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: F/M, Getting Together, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:29:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29756193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewEyes/pseuds/NewEyes
Summary: Sometimes it seemed like the house was separated into completely different worlds, Thanatos in the West Hall, Megaera in the Lounge, and the only thing they had in common was him, running around in between them.Megaera and Thanatos figure out how to make their relationship work, with some help from Zagreus.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Hades Video Game), Megaera/Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Megaera/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	1. Logistics

**Author's Note:**

> Set somewhere after the first ending, but before the second, so potential spoilers abound. Zagreus is with both Megaera and Thanatos, but they are not together as a trio yet.
> 
> All mistakes are my own.

The light from the disco ball shimmered around Zagreus as he paid the broker. 

“Thanks,” he said, as he took the ambrosia from the counter and tucked it away on his belt. He turned and headed for his bedroom, but as he drew closer he heard voices coming from inside. He paused in front of the entrance, and then stepped to the side. He glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, and then inched forwards and turned his face so his ear was near the entrance to the room. 

“I miscalculated,” Thanatos said. 

“It’s fine.” That was Megaera. 

“Zagreus is usually back around this sort of time,” Thanatos said.

“I know.”

They sounded as if they were talking about the weather, like they were two general acquaintances, not his two lovers. Zagreus winced. Achilles had reassured him it was fine, that it was normal to have multiple lovers, but it was still new to him. His relationships with Megaera and Thanatos weren’t exactly a secret, but still, he’d never really talked about it with either of them. 

“I assumed he would be free.”

“Yes,” Megaera said. “I did also.”

It was weird to hear them talking together like this, he never saw them together and they didn’t really seem to talk much in the house. Sometimes it seemed like the house was separated into completely different worlds, Thanatos in the West Hall, Megaera in the Lounge, and the only thing they had in common was him, running around in between them.

“We need to have a schedule,” Thanatos sounded stiffer than usual.

“Yes,” Megaera answered and then sighed. “Look, I can leave-,”

“I wouldn’t want to-,”

“No, I think I should-,”

Zagreus heard the crack of Thanatos teleporting, and then footsteps heading his way. He dashed towards the garden and tried to act natural as Megaera walked out of his room and back across into the lounge. She looked...normal. Not upset at least, and no angrier than usual.

He slumped slightly, leaning his shoulder against the entranceway to the garden. It sounded like they’d both gone. He sighed and rubbed his hand across his face. Megaera and Thanatos hadn't sounded angry or jealous of each other, but something about it still didn’t sit right with him. After so long with nothing but his father’s harsh words and his focus on the escape, his interludes with Thanatos and Megaera had been...well, really great. But he had to admit that in the past he’d been...careless with them, maybe. So focused on his escape that he’d ignored all the people around him. He didn’t want to make that mistake again. 

“Zagreus?” 

He jumped, Megaera was standing in the hallway looking at him, she must have come back out of the lounge.

“Oh hey,” he said.

“I thought I heard you,” she said. “What are you doing? Her voice was level, but he thought he could see concern in her eyes.

“Oh, nothing much,” he said. “Just relaxing, a little down time before my next escape.”

“Hmm?” Megaera raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Yes.” 

He straightened up and tried to walk forward nonchalantly. The effect was kind of spoiled when he accidentally walked through a shade who yelled ‘watch where you’re going!’ at him and he felt his face burning. But Meg didn’t say anything, just stepped to the side when he reached her, eyes piercing, as though she could see right through him. She looked great; strong, confident, head held high. His eyes flicked down to her hand resting on the whip at her side, and suddenly he was flooded with memories. The last time she had used it on him while trying to escape…the last time she had used it on him in the bedroom…. With some effort he managed to drag his eyes up to her face again, and he knew she’d noticed him noticing. He swallowed and tried to damp down on the sudden surge of arousal.

“I’m just going to-,” he said and stepped backwards a couple of steps.

“See you later, Zagreus,” she said, and he turned to dash inside his bed chambers, face still burning.

*

His room was just as he’d left it. Somehow it always felt like a sanctuary, a place that was truly his, where his father’s booming voice couldn’t reach him. If he hadn’t heard Meg and Than earlier he wouldn’t have known they’d been here, together. It was strange, when he’d been trying to escape for real he’d never had much time for this room, running through it without thinking, maybe stopping to look in the mirror but not really bothering with anything else. There had been no point. He wasn’t staying. Now it was cluttered with things he’d bought from the contractor. 

He knew he should get ready to head out again, but instead he wandered across the room. He strummed his fingers listlessly across the harp and a discordant chord filled the air. He hovered his hand over the table of games that he’d never played. The bed...well, at least that was one thing he did use, even if it wasn’t exactly for sleeping. He ran his fingers over the covers briefly, memories of Megaera and Than playing across his mind. His lips quirked up in a brief smile, and then he turned away and walked over to the scrying pool.

He peered into it and saw his face reflected back at him, blue light playing over his features, and then suddenly he was watching a distorted view of all his escape attempts. The times he’d died...the times he’d killed. He rested his hands lightly on the side of the bowl. All his mistakes and missteps were laid out in front of him. The pool was a strange thing, most of the images were of things he remembered; dying to this or that, killing a gorgon here, killing a rat there. But occasionally something would appear and he would think, ‘ _did that happen? Do I remember that?_ ’ Just little flickers, barely there at all, so it was easy to assume that he’d just forgotten the image in question; he’d died a lot, escaped a lot. But he did wonder, sometimes, exactly what the pool could do, if it could do more than just show him blood and death. 

He lifted his hands from the side of the bowl and took a step back. He wondered if there was anything he could do to help Meg and Thanatos. They hadn’t seemed angry or jealous earlier, but they hadn’t seemed completely comfortable either. At the beginning of his escape attempts, he never could have imagined his life now. That he would have his mother back, that Meg and Than would be his lovers, all of the relationships that he’d nurtured with his family. It was like his world had been so small before, narrowed down to him, his father, the goal, and now it was so wide open there was space for him to breathe. He hadn’t even realised he’d been missing that space, but he had, and he’d been the poorer for it. If he could give a little more of that out to Meg and Than, surely he had to try?

*

Megaera frowned and took a sip of her drink. She’d been looking forward to seeing Zagreus before he left and waiting in his room had seemed like a good idea, but she hadn’t expected Thanatos to teleport in. They’d clearly had the same idea, thinking alike, perhaps. 

She was almost sure Zagreus had overheard her conversation with Thanatos. If he’d been on his way through somewhere, he’d have been dashing—she would have heard him or seen him go by from the lounge—but he'd been standing still in the garden archway, looking worried, leaning against the doorway. Zagreus didn’t stand still in doorways and he didn’t lean. 

“Zagreus has gone again,” she heard Hades say from the main hall. 

“Yes dear,” Persephone said. “I’m sure you’ll see him soon.”

“Only after he has _completely_ destroyed the realm.”

Persophone laughed. “Now love, you know it improves security.” The voices started to fade and Megaera couldn’t see them but she could imagine it; Persephone with her hand on Hades’ arm, guiding him away from the desk, towards their bedroom.

Megaera swirled her drink around in her glass. Now she would have to wait until Zagreus was back again. She was under no illusions that she would beat him on the way out of Tartarus, not unless he was very unlucky. He’d changed, grown stronger, more precise than he used to be, and not just physically. He’d mended things with her, and opened up to Thanatos. Some part of her had always assumed if she got back together with Zag, it would be exactly the same as before, that he would be exactly the same person. But things were different now. Everything was different around here and she was on new, uncertain ground. She didn’t exactly know what they were doing, and now _Thanatos_ was in the mix as well. 

She couldn’t help but wonder what Than and Zag would be like together. She imagined the two of them sprawled out naked on Zag’s bed—Thanatos on top, balanced on one hand—Zag’s hands caressing Thanatos’ back as they moved together. She could imagine how Zag would sound; the breathy gasps he made at the beginning, when he was still trying to maintain some semblance of control and the louder sounds he made later, when inevitably his control would slip and he wouldn’t be able to hold back. Would he be like that with Thanatos? What would Thanatos sound like?

“More,” her imaginary Zagreus gasped. “More.”

She could almost see the shine of sweat on Thanatos’ back, his long hair loose. “Yes…just like that,” Thanatos murmured, and sped up the movement of his hips. She could see Zagreus’ hand stop it’s stroking and clutch hard at Thanatos’ hip, just holding on.

Thanatos paused for a second. “But....wait…” he said, and turned his head towards her and met her eyes. “Join us?” he said. 

It was like a shock to her system and she suddenly realised where she was, sitting in the lounge, surrounded by shades.

“Jjjjooooinnnn ussss,” she heard again, a hissing whisper in her head. Tisiphone, calling to her. Of course. Zagreus must be getting close to the edge of Tartarus. Her sisters needed her help. 

“Thanks,” she sent back, downed the rest of her drink, and headed up to Tartarus to get beaten by Zagreus again.

*

Thanatos did not pace. He very carefully did not pace, and stood in the West Hall exactly as he usually did. So there was really no reason for Achilles to have wandered down from his usual spot. 

“Everything alright lad?”

“Yes.”

“You look a little worried there.”

“I’m just thinking,” he said and then clarified, “I’m not worried.” Zagreus was always asking Achilles for advice, but Zagreus was _Zagreus,_ Thanatos knew he could figure this out by himself. 

“Oh, of course, of course,” Achilles said with an easy smile. “But you know, if you ever do have anything you want to talk about, I’d be happy to lend an ear.”

“I’m fine,” he said, but his mind flashed back to a few minutes ago with Meg in Zag’s room. Okay, so maybe he felt a little _uncertain_ , but he wasn’t unhappy or worried. He hadn’t really done any of this before though and surely it was natural to apply some thought to the matter.

Zag and Meg had been together a long time before he entered the picture. He knew he didn’t need to be jealous, Zagreus had already chosen and he clearly wanted both of them. But just thinking logically, well, it only made sense to try and avoid a repeat of the awkward scene with Megaera that'd left everybody frustrated and nobody happy. It was important that they figured out how to make this thing work. Logistically. It would require plans, organising, schedules...and he suspected it would all be down to him to arrange. He couldn’t see Megaera sitting patiently and planning out their schedules so they didn’t run into each other in Zag’s bedroom again.

“Wait-,” he said, and Achilles turned back. Thanatos almost blurted out everything, but at the last second he held his tongue. 

Achilles paused, and then just shook his head and smiled. “Look lad, a bit of unsolicited advice...” but Thanatos cut him off with what he knew to be an unfriendly look. “Ah well,” Achilles said ruefully. “But I can tell that you’re....well just in my experience, it really doesn’t have to be complicated.”

“Right…” Thanatos said. What was that supposed to mean? “Thank you.” 

Achilles smiled at him. “It’s alright, lad,” he said, and headed back up the hallway.

Thanatos watched him go. Not so complicated...but it was complicated? But that was okay, he dealt with difficult things all the time, collecting the dead for the underworld had plenty of complexity and he handled it just fine. Lists. He needed lists and timelines and charts. Right. He immediately felt calmer, now that he had a plan, with proper preparation, there would be absolutely nothing to worry about. He headed across to the Administrative Chamber for some paper. 

* 

“Here,” Thanatos said, dumping a load of papers on her table. What the hell? She moved her drink carefully out of the way.

“What is this?” Megaera asked.

“We need a schedule,” he said. “Who gets Zag when.” He started rifling through the pages. “My calculations.” He started pulling out pages and handing them to her. “My schedule, predicted and estimated, though obviously the further in the future, the lower my confidence.” He handed her another bundle of pages. “My estimations of Zag’s potential return times, taking into account the pact punishments he chooses, with space for us both to calculate based on the boons he has when we meet him and current run time.” Another bundle of pages. “Space for you to enter your own schedule, and you see here, here and here,” he pointed, “these will feed through to the calculations here and here…”

“I’m not doing this,” she snorted.

“What?”

“This is ridiculous, Thanatos,” she said. He shot her a cold look.

“Exactly what part of it do you have a problem with? My logic is sound but I’m happy to take corrections of course, given that I put it all together myself.”

“It just seems a bit…” she shrugged, “...excessive.”

“It’s important to be precise if we don’t want a repeat of last time.” 

“Yes,” Megaera said softly. She wondered if she should tell Thanatos about seeing Zag afterwards and decided there was no harm in it. “I think Zagreus heard us last time in his bedroom.” She looked down at the papers, filled with Thanatos’ scribbled writing. 

“Did he?”

“He didn’t seem worried but...”

“That’s why it’s important for this to be right.” Thanatos pushed the papers slightly towards her on the table.

“It must have taken you a long time to put this together,” she said.

“Yes,” Thanatos didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I want Zagreus to be happy,” he said stiffly.

“You really think it will work?”

“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t. I plan more complicated operations every day.”

“Yes,” she said. “I don’t doubt your calculations. But all this,” she gestured at the papers all over the table doubtfully, “more forms to fill out...I don’t know. I’ve always preferred action.”

“I know,” Thanatos finally met her eyes again. “We’ve worked together for a long time.”

“Yes we have.” Death and fates and fury often went hand in hand in the mortal world. “But we’ve never really talked much together on our own time.”

Thanatos tilted his head and watched her carefully, assessing. “That’s true.” 

Megaera took in his stern countenance, at odds with the papers in her hands, that were a clear labour of love. She sighed. 

“I know my relationship with Zagreus hasn’t always been simple,” she said. “We’ve had our differences. But I do want Zagreus to be happy,” she said, and she hoped he could read it in her face that she truly meant it. Thanatos coughed slightly but his face looked softer than before. “Where it’s possible of course,” she clarified. “I would never go easy on him when we fight,” she rested her hand on her whip.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Thanatos said. “I always perform my duty when he dies, no matter how close he is to the surface.” Thanatos stood straight and dignified in front of her.

Megaera was suddenly curious. “What would you do if I said no to all of this?” 

Thanatos startled slightly and then paused, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. “I would convince you,” he said finally.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“How would you do that, would you fight me? Do you think you would win?”

“I wouldn’t need to fight you, not _physically_ ,” he said with disdain.

“You seem pretty sure of that,” she said, and the fury that was always running under her skin felt closer to the surface. 

“Yes,” he said. “Do you have another plan instead?” he challenged her.

Thanatos had hit upon the sore point and from the expression on his face, he knew it. No, she didn’t have a better plan. She took a few deep breaths and centred herself. She didn’t think all these pages and calculations would be a solution, not really, but clearly Thanatos did, or he was trying to convince himself that it would work. This whole thing really mattered to him. Zagreus mattered to him. 

Zagreus mattered to her.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

“You will?” Thanatos clearly hadn’t expected to get even that much from her.

“Yes,” she said. She peeled the relevant documents out of the pile in her arms and set the rest on the table. “I’ll have a look at these, the ones I have to fill in, but how about I leave the calculations to you?”

“That’s fine,” Thanatos said. “Thank you,” he added and she thought he looked a bit embarrassed.

“It’s no trouble,” she said. 

Thanatos started gathering up the rest of the papers on the table, carefully not looking at her. “I know it’s not ideal,” Thanatos said, “but it’s better than the alternative.”

“The alternative?” she asked.

“Well, neither of us being with him,” Thanatos said. 

“Is that the alternative?”

Thanatos’ hands stilled on the pages and he looked over at her suddenly. “Yes,” he said, but he didn’t sound as sure as he had before. She walked around the table towards him, until they were only an arm’s length apart. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm and he looked up at her. Thanatos swallowed. 

“Well-,” she started, but suddenly heard splashing, and they both turned their heads towards the corner, where on the other side of the wall, Zagreus was climbing out of the Styx.

“Well, that was fun,” Zagreus said to nobody in particular and they heard the sound of him towelling off.

Thanatos seemed to scramble into motion, and her hand fell off his arm as he gathered the papers into his arms, much more quickly than he had been before. 

“Later?” she asked and Thanatos stopped suddenly. 

“Uh, yes,” Thanatos said eloquently, papers in his arms, and then with a crack, he disappeared.


	2. Zagreus Falls

“Look, what’s so wrong with the lounge?” Zagreus said.

“Nothing is wrong with the lounge,” Thanatos said. Why was Zagreus so fixed on this? 

“Then why don’t you come and have a drink with me there?”

“I’d rather not.” He had no desire to waste time in that place, crowded with shades milling about, the people he’d brought over and down to Hades. Somehow he didn’t think his presence would improve the atmosphere. 

“Why?”

“I don’t drink in the lounge, you know that,” he said. “I’m busy, I have work to do.”

“But maybe it would be good to do it once in a while,” Zagreus said. “Relax with other people in the house.”

Other people in the house…..? Oh. Megaera. Suddenly it all made a strange kind of sense, Thanatos knew she liked the lounge, and she was probably in there right now. It seemed like Zag was always trying to bring people together and maybe he was looking for new challenges, now things with the Olympians were going pretty well. Unbidden, the image of Megaera smiling and touching his arm came into his mind, but he pushed it away quickly, he wasn’t ready to look too closely at that yet. Even so, there was really no need for Zagreus to worry, he didn’t know that they’d already figured it all out. Mostly. Sort of. For some reason he felt nervous mentioning it to Zag though. What would he say, ‘So Zagreus, I’ve divided your time between us into a very reasonable and equitable split?’ He wasn’t sure how Zagreus would take that. 

“I don’t need to meet other people in the house,” he tried to reassure Zagreus. “I already know everybody in the house.”

“Well, yes,” Zagreus said. “But...you really won’t even try it?”

“I don’t really think that’s necessary.”

“Can’t I persuade you somehow?” Zagreus said, placing one hand on his hip, just below his belt. It drew Than’s attention and once he was drawn in, he found that he couldn’t look away. His eyes helplessly roamed over Zag’s body, up and across the expanse of his bare chest. Finally he managed to drag his eyes back up to Zagreus’ face to see Zagreus smiling slyly at him. 

“Look…” he began, feeling overwhelmed and he held his hands up and took a step back, before he’d even thought about it. As he moved, he saw a brief flash of hurt on Zagreus’ face. “Look…” Thanatos said again, like he was stuck and that was the only word he could say. Despite his best efforts something had gone wrong, and he desperately wanted to fix it but didn’t quite know how.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Zagreus said. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” And then before Thanatos could reply, Zagreus was gone. 

*

Megaera heard footsteps at the door of the lounge and looked up. Zagreus stood in the doorway, his shoulders set in a tense line.

“Hi,” she said. “Good run this time?”

He shot her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and walked over. “It’s always a pleasure to beat my father, even if I end up here all the same afterwards.”

“I can understand that,” she said. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Zag said, but there was no change with his shoulders, and there was a strange light in his eyes. “Hey, why don’t we go for a walk or something?”

What was going on here? “I’m good here,” she said, slowly, but that was clearly the wrong answer.

“I asked the contractor to put a new painting up in the West Hall, maybe we could have a look together. Of you and your sisters.”

“Thank you Zagreus,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said.

“I know,” he said.

She wondered if he was still bothered about her conversation with Thanatos. “Look Zag,” she said. “I know you overheard me and Thanatos in your room a couple of escapes ago.” He looked up at her, surprised. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It’s all fine, we’ve talked.” She hoped that was what he wanted to hear.

“You have?”

“We have a plan.”

“What plan?” he asked.

“Thanatos has…well…we won’t run into each other like that again. And we’re both happy with how things are right now.”

Zagreus’ mouth turned down. “Well, I’m glad that’s all sorted out then,” he said. He was clearly trying for bright and happy, but it definitely missed the mark. “I guess I’ll just,” Zagreus gestured with his arm behind him and then before she could say anything, he’d turned and left.

*

Zagreus felt like there was a lump in his stomach as walked into his bedroom. He knew there was no reason for him to be feeling like this. There was nothing to fix and he didn’t really know what he’d been thinking. That Thanatos would go for a drink with him and Meg in the lounge? Or that Megaera would come and look at paintings with him, they would wander by Thanatos and they would all stand and talk together? It seemed ridiculous now. 

He wandered around the room, keeping his feet moving. He’d meant to play it casual, but he’d knew he’d missed the mark a bit near the end with both of them. Maybe it was just something he had to get used to it; his relationships with both of them were clearly very separate things. Meg and Than were happy dividing up his time, he needed to stop messing things up and just be content and happy. Be satisfied with how things were. He could do that. He looked up at Dionysus' poster on the wall, and tried to imagine what Dionysus would say.

“Yeah, I understand Zag man, it’s tough. But sometimes things just are the way they are, no use dwelling on it.”

He smiled. He should probably go fight a few more gorgons, escape a few more times and when he came back his head would be clearer. He checked his setup in the Mirror of Night, and then headed over to the scrying pool. He leaned over and peered into its depths. Images flashed, a few more deaths added, and few more enemies killed. Wait, hang on...was that Meg and Than? The image was only there for a second and then gone again, but he reached out his hand and touched the surface of the pool.

As soon as his finger touched the water, he felt a strange, ice cold, chill radiate up his arm and he wanted to draw his hand back. He tried to move his hand but it wasn’t responding, he felt a strange sense of detachment, like his arm wasn’t even his own anymore. He looked and there was a pale blue webbing creeping up his arm, and as he watched it spread across his chest. He opened his mouth to call out but he couldn’t. The room started to fade around him, like a dull grey film had been pulled across his eyes, and the background sounds of the house retreated. All he could hear was the soft murmur of flowing water. He felt himself leaning forwards, and then his face was in the water and then his shoulders and he was falling, falling, falling into the ice cold depths. 

*

Megaera waited in the lounge. She waited some more. Time was a strange thing in the house, sometimes time passed quickly and slowly, but this had been too long, surely? Zagreus should have left by now, but she’d hadn’t heard anything from her sisters and she hadn’t heard Zagreus come back through the river. It didn’t usually take Zagreus this long to leave. She got up from her stool and walked out of the lounge, nodding to Nyx in the corner as she passed and entered Zagreus’ bedroom. There was no sign of him. Nothing looked out of place...but there was no Zag. What was going on here?

She walked back out into the hallway and turned to Nyx.

“Is something wrong?” Nyx asked.

“Have you seen Zagreus?” she asked. “I mean, do you know where he is now?”

“Let me have a look child.” Nyx paused and looked down and away, focusing on something that only she could see or sense. Nyx had a presence wherever there was darkness, and there was plenty of shadow in the underworld. “He is not anywhere I can see in the realm.”

“So where is he?” she asked sharply.

“Patience Megaera,” Nyx said, with a look that was far too understanding. “Give me a little time.”

Megaera turned away and walked up and down the hallway, just a few paces forward, then turn, then back a few paces. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Hypnos had walked over from the main hall, he must have spotted her pacing.

“We can’t find Zagreus,” Megaera said. 

“So he’s not trying to escape?”

“Nyx can’t see him in the realm.”

“Oh no,” Hypnos said. “Well, whatever it is, I’m sure Zagreus can handle himself.”

“Yes.”

“So you shouldn’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it.”

“I’m not worried,” she said. 

“Oh, of course, of course, forget I mentioned it.” 

Nyx held up a hand and beckoned to Meg, and she moved closer. To her annoyance, Hypnos came too. 

“I think I sense him,” Nyx said.

“Where is he?”

Nyx paused, as though she were considering her words carefully. “How much do you know about the Styx?

Hypnos jumped in helpfully before she could respond. “Well, it’s the river of course, and when we die we fall into it and get carried back here. Charon helps the mortals cross.”

“Yes,” Nyx said, nodding to Hypnos. “But there are many pathways that lead to and from the Styx, particularly in this house where we are closely boarded by the water on many sides. I sense Zagreus is in one of these paths, one of the tributaries.”

“Tributaries?” Meg asked. “How would he get there? Did he die in the realm and get lost on his way back?”

“I don’t believe so. A moment...” Nyx turned her head slightly towards Zagreus’ room, and then turned and headed inside. Megaera followed with Hypnos on her heels, and saw Nyx looking around the room curiously.

“Wow, I never knew the Prince had so much stuff,” Hypnos said. “Though what with him being a prince and all, I suppose it’s to be expected.”

“It’s nice to see him more settled,” Nyx said quietly, scanning the room briefly, but then her eyes slowly settled on the scrying pool. 

“You think it’s something to do with the pool?” Megaera asked.

“It seems likely,” Nyx said. “The pool is connected to the river like so much of the house of Hades is.” 

Megaera walked over to the pool and peered into it curiously. For a second there was only her own face there, looking pale and unforgiving, and then in a second images started to flash across the pool’s surface and she startled and drew back. She looked over at Nyx.

“Yes, I think this is it,” Nyx said. “I wouldn’t touch it.”

“How…is he alright? Do we need to do something to get him back?”

“I sense he is not hurt,” Nyx said. “Not truly. But I also sense that he might be….lost. The Styx is vast and he hasn’t died and entered through the normal waterways. The waters that feed this pool are from the Styx, but they’re not exactly the same, they’ve been bent to a different purpose. He has no guide and he is not familiar with the water. Thanatos often oversees passage, but I suspect he was not watching for this, and Zagreus did not exactly die, so he has no guide.”

“Wow,” Hypnos said. “So what do we do now?”

*

They all stood in the throne room looking up at Hades, Hypnos and Nyx on her right, Thanatos on her left. Persephone stood off to the side, near Cerberus.

“Idiot boy,” Hades said, banging his fist on the table. 

“Whyhyhh what?” Hypnos jumped, he’d been falling asleep on his feet.

“Only Zagreus would get lost in the Styx from his own room.” Hades said.

“Now, now,” Persephone said. “The others may not remember, but I definitely remember you doing something similar with the-,”

“Never mind that,” Hades said hurriedly. “What are we going to do about Zagreus?”

“Thanatos? Persephone said.

“I can go and find him,” Thanatos said. “I have the Euporia.”

“Huh,” Hypnos said.

“My boat,” Thanatos said with a sigh, and then he turned back to Hades. “If Nyx can show me roughly where she thinks Zagreus is, I should be able to go and bring him back.”

“I’ll come with you,” Megaera said. Thanatos raised an eyebrow, but she just met his eyes and didn’t look away.

“Fine,” Thanatos said with a shrug. “It may help to have you, if you can see a future where we find him it may help us locate him faster.”

Megaera nodded.

“Well, everybody, it seems like we have a plan,” Persephone said. “Megaera and Thanatos will get Zagreus back.” Cerberus whined slightly in the corner. “Don’t worry dear, he’ll be back soon,” Persephone said.

Hades shook his head. “Well, if everybody else has had plenty of time standing around doing no work….”

“Hey,” Hypnos objected. “What about me? I can come too.”

“The Euporia will only fit three,” Thanatos said quickly.


End file.
